Radeon RX 6500 XT vs Radeon RX 7900 XTX
The Radeon RX 7900 XTX is dramatically faster than the Radeon RX 6500 XT, leading by roughly 600% in our performance index. It is also the stronger value pick here, so it's the easy recommendation if your budget allows.
Market Value Leader
Radeon RX 7900 XTX is the clear winner, offering 35.3% better value than Radeon RX 6500 XT.
Maximum Capacity Reached. Remove a model to add another. (2/2)
Radeon RX 7900 XTX vs Radeon RX 6500 XT: In-Depth Breakdown
Performance: Radeon RX 7900 XTX vs Radeon RX 6500 XT
The Radeon RX 7900 XTX is dramatically faster, around 600% ahead of the Radeon RX 6500 XT. That gap is enough to move it up a tier: the Radeon RX 7900 XTX is comfortable at 4K with upscaling and native 1440p, while the Radeon RX 6500 XT is better matched to entry-level 1080p. The Radeon RX 7900 XTX packs 6,144 stream processors versus 1,024 on the Radeon RX 6500 XT.
Price & Value
Right now the Radeon RX 6500 XT starts at $2,638 SEK against $13,653 SEK for the Radeon RX 7900 XTX. Because it's both faster and competitively priced, the Radeon RX 7900 XTX wins on performance-per-dollar by about 35%. The Radeon RX 6500 XT still sits about $2,438 SEK above its $200 SEK MSRP. The Radeon RX 7900 XTX still sits about $12,654 SEK above its $999 SEK MSRP.
Power & Efficiency
The Radeon RX 6500 XT pulls less power (113W vs 355W), so it's the easier card to cool and the lighter load on your PSU. The faster Radeon RX 7900 XTX draws more overall but extracts more performance from each watt — plan for a sturdier power supply if you pick it.
VRAM & Future-Proofing
With 24GB against 4GB, the Radeon RX 7900 XTX has more headroom for 4K textures and memory-hungry creative/AI tasks where the Radeon RX 6500 XT's 4GB can fall short. The Radeon RX 7900 XTX's memory is also faster — 960 GB/s versus 144 GB/s (384-bit vs 64-bit bus) — which helps feed the GPU at 4K and with heavy textures.
Which should you buy: Radeon RX 6500 XT or Radeon RX 7900 XTX?
The Radeon RX 7900 XTX is the all-round winner here — it's faster and the better value, so buy it if it fits your budget. Only consider the Radeon RX 6500 XT if you find it at a steep discount.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Radeon RX 7900 XTX better than the Radeon RX 6500 XT?
Which is better for 4K gaming, the Radeon RX 6500 XT or the Radeon RX 7900 XTX?
Is the Radeon RX 7900 XTX worth the extra $11,015 SEK over the Radeon RX 6500 XT?
Does the Radeon RX 7900 XTX have enough VRAM advantage to matter?
Which should you buy: Radeon RX 6500 XT or Radeon RX 7900 XTX?
Technical Specifications Comparison
Architecture & Cores
| Specification | Radeon RX 6500 XT | Radeon RX 7900 XTX |
|---|---|---|
| Architecture | RDNA 2 | RDNA 3 |
| Process Node | TSMC N6 | TSMC N5 |
| CUDA Cores (Stream Processors / Stream Processors) | 1,024 | 6,144✓ |
| Ray Tracing Cores | 16 | 96✓ |
| Tensor / AI Cores | — | 192 |
Clock Speeds
| Specification | Radeon RX 6500 XT | Radeon RX 7900 XTX |
|---|---|---|
| Base Clock | 2,310 MHz✓ | 1,900 MHz |
| Boost Clock | 2,815 MHz✓ | 2,500 MHz |
Memory
| Specification | Radeon RX 6500 XT | Radeon RX 7900 XTX |
|---|---|---|
| VRAM Capacity | 4 GB | 24 GB✓ |
| Memory Type | GDDR6 | GDDR6 |
| Memory Bus | 64-bit | 384-bit✓ |
| Memory Speed | 18 Gbps | 20 Gbps✓ |
| Bandwidth | 144 GB/s | 960 GB/s✓ |
Connectivity & Power
| Specification | Radeon RX 6500 XT | Radeon RX 7900 XTX |
|---|---|---|
| Interface | PCIe 4.0 x4 | PCIe 4.0 x16 |
| TDP | 113 W✓ | 355 W |
| Power Connectors | 1x 6-pin | 2x 8-pin |
| Released | Jan 2022 | Nov 2022 |
